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‘Family’ at Hastings track remember Brodie

200 horse racing fans gathered on Hastings Racetrack Sept. 24 to pay homage to the Sorensen family at the Brodie Sorensen Memorial Purse
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Rachel Run won the Brodie Sorensen Memorial Race.

A crowd of over 200 horse racing fans gathered on Hastings Racetrack Sept. 24 to pay homage to the Sorensen family at the Brodie Sorensen Memorial Purse.

They, including parents Praven and Debbie, were paying tribute to Brodie Sorensen, who passed away this past year while on a holiday in the U.S.

“Brodie was a diabetic since he was four years old,” said his father Praven. “He was visiting Phil Hall in Arizona last year, playing golf and watching Phil’s horses run at Turf Paradise. One night he wasn’t feeling well, went to bed and never woke up.”

Praven, who has operated Aldergrove-based Fransor Insulation with his partner Wilf Franks for decades, first got into thoroughbred horse racing in the early ‘80s when Franks’ horse Manchu Orbit won three races in a row.

“I got the bug right then and there,” said Praven, who often brought Debbie and Brodie along.

“At one point I owned eight horses and now I have six, with three of those being mine and the other three in partnerships,” said Praven.

“Phil Hall trains most of them.”

In recent years, after graduating from high school in the Aldergrove area where he was active in hockey, soccer and baseball, Brodie adopted golf as his passion. But he always enjoyed life in the backstretch with his parents and friends.

In the memorial race Sept. 24, Rachel Run won the six and a half furlong race and $11,000 purse. She is owned by Carousel Farms and Toni Cloutier, trained by Mark Cloutier and Jose Ascencio was the jockey.

“The people who work at the track have big hearts,” says Praven. “When I’m there it’s like being with family.”

SUBMITTED PHOTO - A large group of supporters joined Aldergrove’s Praven and Debbie Sorensen on the track for the photo of winning horse, Rachel Run, at the Brodie Sorensen Memorial Race, Sept. 24.